Family doctor clinics fail to attract patients in Vietnam
20-Apr-16, DTiNews
Although the family doctor model has been implemented in many district and communal medical centres in Ho Chi Minh City, it is still an unpopular service among patients.
%20DTiNews.jpg "Family doctor clinics fail to attract patients in Vietnam (c) DTiNews")
Image: DTiNews
Vo Thi Kim Oanh, head of a medical centre in Binh Hung Hoa A ward, Binh Tan district, blamed high costs and a lack of medicines and health workers for the problem.
Each centre has only one doctor who works as a family doctor and head of the centre at the same time, said Nguyen Quang Loi, head of a medical centre in ward 8, Tan Phu district. He suggested that each medical centre should have two doctors to run the clinic.
Since people are unaware of the benefits of family doctor clinics, popularising the model remains a challenge.